Methods of and means for packing commodities



pt- 1 1961 G. DOWNIE 3,000,152

METHODS OF AND MEANS FOR PACKING COMMODITIES Filed Sept. 23, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR GERALD DOWN IE BY 6%, IMAM-{405% ATTORNEY$ Sept. 19, 1961' e. DOWNIE 3,000,152

METHODS OF AND MEANS FOR PACKING COMMODITIES Filed Sept. 25, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR GERAL D DOWN l E ATTORNEYS Sept. 19, 1961 G. DOWNlE 3,000,152

METHODS OF AND MEANS FOR PACKING COMMODITIES Filed Sept. 23, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor QEQQLD Dowmfi Arrornevb Claims priority, application Great Britain Sept.

United States Patent METHODS OF AND MEANS FOR PACKING COMMODITIES Gerald Downie, 116 Meadowview Road, West Ewell, England Filed Sept. 23, 1957, Ser. No. 685,622

27, 1956 Claims. (Cl. 53-14) This invention relates to methods of and means for packing commodities in containers of bag-like form which 'may or may not require to be sealed. It is an object of the invention to provide a method whereby a commodity may be packed more cheaply, simply, and rapidly than commodity comprises forming a web of material with a succession of pockets each having three closed sides and a fourth open side, said fourth side lying parallel with one edge of the web, passing the web beneath a nozzle or like delivery means with said fourth side uppermost and charging the pockets with the commodity; and separating the charged pockets from the web. Conveniently, but not essentially, a plurality of pockets are formed as a batch and charged simultaneously from a corresponding number of nozzles.

The web may be of heat sealable material, and the pockets may be formed by heat sealing.

According to a further aspect of the invention, for the production of an article on a stick, for example, a frozen 'lolly, the stick may be inserted in the pocket before or after the pocket has been formed and before it is charged,

" the stick being secured to the material at a point in or i adjacent to the mouth of the pocket.

According to yet a further aspect, the invention includes an open-mouthed bag, if desired having the stick located therein and united thereto at a point adjacent to the mouth thereof.

, The invention will be described, as applied to the production of frozen lollies on sticks, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a machine for making and filling lolly containers in batches of four,

FIGURE 2 is an end elevation of part of the machine,

" on the line n 11, FIGURE 1,

FIGURES 3 and 4 show stages in the production of one form of container,

FIGURE 5 is a plan of a container,

7 FIGURE 6 is a side elevation thereof, and

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view thereof.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, the machine is concerned'with the production of bagged frozen lollies on sticks, the bags and lollies being of the usual flat type. The machine has a frame indicated at 10, to which the various parts are attached or on which they are mounted. A roller 11 accommodates a 'roll 12 of material from which is led a web 13. The web 13 is led downwardly between guide and measuring rollers 14, 15 and is chopped by knives 16, 17 associated with the frame and reciprocated relatively thereto and to one another by any suitable means known to those skilled in the art. Conveniently the web is of heat sealable material, and will hereinafter be described as if it were of such material,

ice

but it will be appreciated that other materials may be employed, for example, in conjunction with an adhesive.

The web is led downwardly by guides 19, past a horizontal slide plate 20 (see FIGURE 2), until the lower edge of the web has reached the lower ends of the guides 19. The knives 16, 17 then sever the web 13, and the severed portion is indicated at 18. In this station, indicated by the arrow A in FIGURE 1, approximately half the height of the portion 18 is above the slide plate 20, and approximately half isbelow. 8

Behind the guide and measuring rollers 14-, 15 is a framework 21 constituting a series of hoppers for stacks of lolly sticks 22. There will be as many stacks as there are to be bags in a batch, i.e., four. In each stack the lolly sticks lie horizontally one above the other.

The slide plate 20 has four slots or recesses therein, each capable of receiving the lowest lolly stick in the stack immediately above it. The thickness of the slide plate 20 is slightly less than the thickness of the lolly sticks.

The slide plate 20 is slidable horizontally on a table 26 in a series of guides, one of which is shown 'at 23 in FIGURE 2. The table 26 is mounted on the frame 10 and is slotted at 28 to permit the descending severed portion 18 to pass through the slot 28 to take up the position described above. The slide plate is reciprocable on the table 26 in the guides 23 by an arm 24, pivotally mounted on the frame '10 at 25, and on the table 26 at 27, and driven by any suitable means in synchronism with the main drive of the machine, which intermittently drives the roller 11 and other moving parts in a manner to'be described hereinafter. Such drive is not shown, but will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Movement of the arm 24 to the position shown in broken lines at 24a causes the slide plate 20 to be slid horizontally forwardly on the table 26.

At the same time, the slide plate 20 carries with it four lolly sticks, one from the bottom of each of the four stacks 22, the sticks above remaining in the hopper 21, but falling so that the bottom but one stick rests on the slide plate 20 There are thus four lolly sticks advancing towards the vertically suspended severed port-ion 18. Their forward ends encounter the severed portion 18, and carry it forward from the guides 19, causing it to be folded upon itself on the table 26 so that one of its edges lies parallel with and close to the other, say A" from it. This station is indicated in broken lines by the arrow B in FIGURE 1.

A heater plate 29 is pivotally mounted at 30 on the flame 10, and capable of being raised or lowered by lever arms 31 actuated by rods 32 reciprocable from the main drive. The heater plate 29 has a raised position clear of the table 26 and a lowered position in which it presses down on the table 26.

As soon as the severed portion 18 has been folded and located on the table 26, the heater plate 29 islowered on to it and heat applied. The heater plate is provided with local heated areas which contact the portion 18, and with other areas out of contact with the portion 18, so that heat is only applied over certain areas as required. The pattern of heat sealing thus eifected depends on the commodity to be packed.- In the present instance, for the packing of lollies, the pat-tern can be readily seen from FIGURE 1, where shaded areas 33 are indicated. The areas 33 define the edges of the bags. Heavy lines 34 at the ends of the lolly sticks indicate where they are aflixed to the edge of the severed portion.

After the heat sealing has been effected, the portion 18, although it has not yet reached the station illustrated in FIGURE 1, has attained the formation there shown. The portion 18 has been retroverted about the fold line 35, the-original edges being indicated at 36 and 37. R

has been heat-sealed over the areas 33, so forming open- 7 mouthed pockets 38 between said areas, and the lolly sticks have been scaled to the edge 36 as indicated by the heavy lines 34.

The heating plate 29'uis'now raised. The table 26 has located thereunder two spindles 39 each carrying two sprockets 40 around which extend two sprocket chains 41 which protrude upwardly through slots 42 in the upper surface of the table 26 and constitute a transfer conveyor, whereby the folded and heat sealed portion 18 is conveyed from Station B under the heater plate 29 to the next station, indicated in broken lines in FIGURE 1 by the arrow C.

At this station there is a vertical conveyor, having a pair of lower sprocket wheels 43 and a pair of upper sprocket wheels 44 mounted on horizontal spindles on the frame 10, and intermittently driven from the main drive. There are two sprocket chains 45, 46 around these sprockets, arranged to be movable upwardly from wheels 43 to Wheels 44, and between the chains there extend gripper bars 47; Each gripper bar 47 consists of a strip pivotally mounted at its ends on links of the chains 45, 46, with spring clips 80 operated by cams 81 to grip the ends of the lolly sticks, as the gripper bar reaches the level of the table 26 during the ascending movement of the gripper bar. It will be seen, therefore, that after the portion 18 has reached Station C, it will be gripped by the next ascending gripper bar 47 and raised from a horizontal to a vertical position. FIGURE 1 shows a portion 18 inclined at 45 in the course of being so raised.

Pivotally mounted on the frame is a spindle 48, from which depend arms 49 carrying a frame 50 on which are 'ves 51. The frame 50 and knives 51 are reciprocable by a rod 52 pivoted to the arm 49 at 53 and operated intermittently from the main drive. Fixed knives 54, located to enact with the pivotable knives 51, are secured to the main frame 10.

The knives 51, 54 are so located as to cut along the lines demarcating the shaded areas 33, so that the shaded areas are cut away when the portion 18, held by a gripper bar, has ascended to the position indicated by the arrow D, i.e., to Station D. It will be noted that the cuts do not extend as far as the marginal part of the portion 18 that is held by the gripper bar 47, i.e., the four bags of the batch are not completely severed from one another.

Above the knives is a pipe 55 feeding compressed air to four nozzles 56, each nozzle being located so as to direct a blast of air into the mouth of one of the pockets formed in the portion 18. Parallel with the pipe 55 is a tube 59, mounted on the main frame 10, and supporting four liquid reservoirs 58, located to serve the four pockets of a batch. The tube 59 keeps the reservoirs 58 supplied with the liquid which is to be packed in the pockets. Each reservoir 58 has a spout 60 directed into the mouth of a pocket. A transverse bar 57 is pivotally connected with a lever arm 61 extending from each reservoir 58, and each lever arm is arranged to rotate a vertical spindle 62 in the reservoir to operate two valves whereby the liquid in the reservoir may be passed to or withheld from the nozzle 60. The capacity of the reservoir 58 is the same as'that of the pocket it is to fill. The transverse bar 57 is connected with intermittent operating means phased with the main drive, whereby a predetermined volume of liquid may be metered into a pocket after the portion 18 has arrived. at Station E, as indicated by the arrow. B in FIGURES 1 and 2,

Arranged transversely above the liquid reservoirs 58 is an electric heater 63, served by cables 64. The heater 63 is pivotally mounted on arms 65 about an axis 66 and operable by a lever arm 67 and rod 68 so that it can be swnmgto or from a platen 69 mounted on the main frame 10. The. heater 63 is employed, when the portion has reached Station F, indicated by the arrow F, to seal the mouths of the filled pockets by pressing them against the 4 platen 69. The heater 63 is then pivotally retracted by the rod 68.

The filled pockets now hang from the lolly sticks in such a way that the sticks are symmetrically arranged within the pockets, i.e., there is an equal thickness of the liquid wall on each side of the stick within the pocket. This may readily be achieved merely by gravity, unless the nature of the liquid (eg if it were to have an unusually high viscosity) necessitates the provision of simple guide means for the pockets.

Further travel of the conveyor chains 45, 46 carries the filled and sealed pockets away to Station G, indicated by the arrow G, whence they are removed for subsequent freezing and/ or other treatment. The pockets, it will be noted, are still unsevered along their top edges.

The main drive is conveniently obtained from a constantly rotating source of power, such as an electric motor. The operation-of the machine is, however, intermittent, and any known means may be employed to accomplish this. Movement of severed portions from one station to the next is effected simultaneously, that is, all the portions are moved together each from its station to the next successive station.

It will be convenient now to summarize the action of the machine by setting forth the operations performed at the various stations.

Station A.-The portion 18 is severed from the web 13. During transfer to Station B, it is folded and located on the table 26, with lolly sticks in the fold.

Station B.The heater 29 is lowered and heat seals the portion 18 to define open-mouthed pockets with the lolly sticks secured in the mouths thereof.

Station C.-The portion 18 is gripped by a gripper bar 47 and raised to a vertical position at Station D.where the knives 51, 54 cut away the waste, leaving the pockets sealed at their edges.

Station E.The pockets are opened by an air blast, and a measured charge of liquid from the reservoirs 58 is introduced. a

Station F.The mouths of the filled products are sealed by heater 63 pressing against platen 69.

Station G.The filled and sealed pockets are ready for further treatment. 7

It will be appreciated that instead of a folded web there may be employed two webs of suitable unequal widths, one overlying the other, with their coincidental edges 'oined.

1 It is important that virtually all that part of the stick which is within the pocket be free from the material of the web.

Suckers or plungers may be used in place of air nozzles.

In the embodiment just described the batch of four pockets for the lollies are joined to one another, but they may at any convenient intermediate stage be separated entirely from the web. a

It will be seen that the method permits any number of pockets to be charged simultaneously while the additional apparatus required consists merely of the desired size of heaters and number of knives, nozzles, and feeding means therefor.

The invention may be applied to commodities which do not have sticks, such as table jellies, which would be fed in free flowing form into the pockets and allowed to set therein, liquid shampoos, or even material in fluent powdered form. Where sticks are not employed, the uncut edge of the Web maybe used, e.g. by being passed between supports and guides, for the handling of the web in the latter stages of the method.

In the embodiment described, the charged pocket has been scaled on its fourth edge along a line in the same plane as the opposite-or bottom edge. It may, however,

.be sealed in a plane at right angles to the plane of the container comprises a tube 70, heat sealed along its edges 71. The edge 72 which is closed, may be so rendered either by retroversion of a web as already described, or by heat sealing. Sealing of the open mouth 73, instead of being by a single flat heater and platen as before, is by two or preferably four heaters 74, as shown in FIGURE 5, whereby a substantially tetrahedral shape is obtained. If the container is to hold, e.g., a beverage, a drinking straw or nozzle 75 may be located in the mouth so as to be sealed into the centre of the cross.

I claim:

1. A method of packing a commodity in a pocket on a stick comprising folding a web of material upon itself with the aid of the stick, so that only said stick is interposed between the folded layers of said web and projects beyond said web fastening portions of the facing surfaces of said web to form a pocket having three closed sides and a fourth open side, said fourth side lying parallel with one edge of the web while simultaneously securing said stick to the inside of the pocket at said fourth side, lifting said pocket carried by said stick with said fourth side uppermost to beneath a commodity delivery means, filling each pocket with the commodity in liquid state, and then solidifying the commodity in each pocket.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising simultaneously forming and filling a plurality of said pockets on said web.

3. A method as in claim 2, said web being composed of heat scalable material, and forming said pockets by heat sealing said facing surfaces of said web.

4. A method as in claim 3, further comprising partially severing said pockets from each other and said web beneath said one edge of said web and prior to filling the pockets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,136,876 Chaveas et a1 Nov. 15, 1938 2,139,039 Salfisberg Dec. 6, 1938 2,403,482 Cloud July 9, 1946 2,486,758 Pfeiifer Nov. 1, 1949 2,616,232 Meyer Nov. 4, 1952 2,728,677 Colman Dec. 27, 1955 2,759,831 Young et a1 Aug. 21, 1956 2,877,121 Anderson et a1 Mar. 10, 1959 

